Dirigible airship



' April 13 1926.

E. H. VAN VALKENBERG DIRIGIBLE AIRSHIP Filed April 27, 1925 5 Sheets-Shet l www April 13,1926. 1,580,182 E. H. VAN VALKENBERG DIRIGIBLE AIRSHIP Filed April 27, 1925 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Apri'lvTB'TQZG. 1,580,182

Y E. H. VAN VALKENBERG VDIRIGIVBLE AIRSHIP- Filed April 27, 1925 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 April 13, 1926.

E. H. VAN VALKENBERG DIRIGIBLE AIRSHIP 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed April 27, 1925 April 13, 1926.1 1,580,182

E. H. VAN VALKENBERG DIRIGIBLE AIRSHIP l Filed April 27. 1925 A 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 y EBEE H. van

Patented Apr.v 13,- 1 926. i

VALKENBEBG, F MONROE,

T0 OSCAR SILVERSTEIN, 0F SPOXANE, WASHINGTON. Y

UNITED sTATEs PATENT OFFICE.v

wAsHmG'roN, asian-on or oNE-rormr DIBIGIBLE .AIRSYHIR To all whom t may] concern:

.Beit known that I, EBER H. VAN VALKEN- B'ERG, a citizen of the United States, residing at'Monroe, in Snohomish County and State of Washington, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in v.DirgibleAirships, of which the following is a speciiication.

My present invention relates to improve-- ments in airships of the dirigible balloon or lighter than air type,' and is designed for the purpose Aof embodying in this class of aircraft certain structural arrangements and features whereby the craft may be maneuvered with facility; the parts of the structure areproperly braced to insure safety and durability; and necessary ventilation is The vinvention involves the utilization of a dirigible aircraft having separate compart- 'ments' orcontainers'for buoyant gas with means for controlling the intake and outlet of gas to and from the compartments. AVA lon 'tudinally movable gondola or car is carrie'lby the aircraft and suspended in such manner that'the car may be adjusted for maintainingthe equilibrium of the craft '1 maintaining the buoyant gas at a desired for a straight course as well as for maneuver- .mg todescend for a landing or ascendlng after launching. Means are provided for Ventilating the aircraft for the purpose of temperature, and other meritorious features are vpresent 'in the invention aswill herevin'after be more fully pointed out and claimed. In the accompanying drawings I have illustrated comblnations and arrangements of par'tsfin the structure ofthe airship in which my invention is 'physically embodied according tothebest mode I have thus far devised fori the practical application of the 'tion of travel vof the s principles of my invention. Fi e 1 is a. view inside elevation of an aircraft embodying the features of my invention, the arrow plointing in 'the direcip. 4 Figure 2 is a-,transverse vertical sectional view of the craft at lir2-f2 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a longitu inalvertical sectional view, enlarged,l

the prow or bow of the ship.

Figure 4 isa transverse ,vertical sectional view amidship as at line 4--4'of Figure 1.

Figure 5 a detail sectional view transspaced .transverse braces for the double-wall hull.

Figure 7 is braces a's at line 7-7 of Figure 6.

Figure 8 is an enlarged longitudinal vertical sectional view of a portion -of the'craft showing the transverse plates or artitions forming gas compartments, and t ev transverse braces, and

Figure 9 is a vertical longitudinal sectional view at the fore end of the ship.

The aircraft which is of the standard dirigible-balloon shape is fashioned with a hull comprising an outer wall 1 and an inner wall 2, which are made up of suitable material, and form an air space `3 extending practically over the entire area of the hull of the craft. Within this air space areI arranged aseries of longitudinally extending tubularbeams 4 arranged fore and aft of the ship in a circular series, and the double an enlarged 'detail of the walls of the hull are fixed to these beams "f as by rivets or bolts 5. At the inner side of the inner wall of the ship are provided interior transversely arranged brace rings v 6 spacedat suitable intervals throughout the tudinal axis of the air craft and fore and aft propellers 9 and 10 carried by the gondola or car l11 which is suspended beneath and carried bythe ship' for the accommodation of crew and passengers or freight.

A tunnel 12 -is arranged along length of the craft. 'The plates are circu-.

lar in form and notchedto it around the walls of the tunnel or the keelsonvand form partitions secured tothe annular or ring braces Between adjoining partitionsvthe pellers 7 and 8 alined with 'the longithe Vkeel line of the craft with upwardly' inclinedways to the' fore; and aft engine houses to give access to the several parts of the craft, andthe .walls of this tunnel form a keelson' or longitudinal brace in connection with a' f VIt) eral compartments from the tunnel or keel--l son by means of inwardly opening valves in the tunnel wall and located near the keel of the ship. Each valve has a plug 16 threaded into a casing 17 supported in suitable manner lin the tunnel wall, and the plug is fashioned'with an attaching nipple 18 to which the-supply pipe or hose may be applied for filling the compartment. As the gas is admitted to the interior of the compartment, air if present in the compart ment is disposed-of through' \an outlet 19 in the wall of the tunnel (Fig.` 5) located at a lower point than the intake valve 15 and nearer the keelson or keel ofthe craft, to materially assist in disposing of the air which is heavier than the admitted gas. An outlet or air valve 2O is used to close the opening 19 and a control wheel 21 is provided for the valve which wheel is accessible for use from the interior of the tunnel 12.

The fone and aft ends of theaircraft are provided .with a circular bow-plate 22 and a similar stern-plate 23, the latter shown in dotted lines in Figure 1 and the former shown best in section in Figures 3 and 9. :Exterior of these plates is arranged a ring 24 fixed within the open end of the outer wall of the hull for reinforcing and bracing the structure. Each of these rings, as 'indicated in connection with the bow-ring 24 in Figures 3 ahd 9, is provided with a ventilating device which includes a series of adjustable slats or shutters 25 disposed-horizontally of the aircraft and supported in the ring on horizontal pivots 26. By means of a shutter rod 25 whichis-arranged in vertical position and pivotally connected or hinged to each shutter or slat, the .slats may "be adjusted on their pivots tovary the area of the opening in front of the bow-plate 22 and control admission of air currents tothe air space 3 between the double walls of the hull. A control device 25a supported in the bow-plate as seen in Figure 9 maybe manipulated from the interior of the ship `:for

' regulating these slats and for entirely opening ordentirely 'closing the Ventilating device as a wlole.

' It will be apparent that with the adjust:

The shaft.v 27 'of the-propeller 7 is 'jourf nalle'din a bearing boss28 of the bow plate 22, andthe propeller may beutilized to pass air currents through the Ventilating vdevice if required. A standard type of engine or motor 29 is used to drive the propeller and engine frame 30 is supported on a platform or engine deck 30 at the bow or prow ofthe A craft as'i'ndicated in Figure 9.

4In addition to the use of natural or forced draft of air currents for the annularair space 3, a hot air pipe 31 leading from a heat generator 32 may 'be employed. The

generator and hot air pipe are preferably locatedin the engine house and supported Y from the deck or platform 30', and it willbe apparent that With the adjustable ventilator in the bow of the craft closed, heated air currents from-the generator 32 may be conveyed by way of the hot air pipe 31, to the space back of the ventilator device and in front of the bow-plate, and from there the heated air currents will passte theV annular space 3. 'From this space ,the heatis radiated through the interior wall of the' hull to the gas containedl in the compartments for raising the temperature of the gas.

On the roof or upper deck-of the aircraft a signal tower o'rfcabin 33 is built for the accommodation of oiiicers and crew,

and supports'34 for antennae of radio equipment are provided on'the roof of the cabin. The interior of the cabin is reached from the interior of the keelson or tunnel by way of a vertical ladder 35 in la tubular structure ing into a cabin 37 in the interior of the ul-l `or hatchway 36 located amidship and o enand intercepting the tunnel or keelson 12.

A trap ,door or hatch 38 is located at the upper end of the hatchway flush withpthe deck 39 of thecabin 33, which when opened on its hinges gives access to the interior of thelcabin 33,

For maneuvering the craft while under way a set/of 4steering blades or planes 4U, 41and 42 are hinged'at 43 and located exterior of the hull for manipulation o 'r actuation from the interior ofthe ship. A pair' of planes 40 -are adjustable laterally on their'vertical hinges for steeringthe craft to port or starboard, and the .planes 41 and 42 respectively are used for causing an ascension when launching or a descent when land- 'ing the ship. These four' planes are located at diamet-rical points about the 'longitudinal central axis of the craft and are adjustable toward or from the hull of'the ship4 in vman.

V`ner well understood.

The gondola `orr'zar 1l which is suspended below and along-the line of the keel of the ship is longitudinally movable with relation to 'the ship fori tilting the craft lon its horizontal axis and for this purpose the car-4 may be shifted toward-the bow or toward the stern of the craft. v A pair of tubular parallel tracks 01 Ways 44 are spaced equidistant at the sides of keel line and secured tothe hull of the ship in suitable manner. lVithin these longitudinally extending tracks are carried two series of two-wheel trucks and 46 having hangers 47 which are secured in suitable manner to the roof structure48 of the car 1l for suspending the car from the craft. Suitable mechanism may be provided for positively shifting or changing the position of the car with relation to the craft, 'and in the drawings I have indicated a motive fluid motor or' engine 49 carried within Vthe car which furnish motive luid to a pair ot lougitudinally alined cylinders 5() secured in proper manner on the root structure 48. A pair of opposed piston rods 5l and 5:2 are providedl with pistons in these cylinders,

and the ends of these rods extended fore and aft of the shipare hinged or pivotally anchoredat 53 to the hull of the ship. It will be obvious that when motive fluid is supplied to one cylinder and withdrawn from the other cylinder, the power in the first cylinder will be exertedl on its piston, which is stationary, to relatively move the ear longitudinally ofthe ship. In this manner the equilibrium or an even keel of the ship may be maintained if and when the load of the ship is shifted or the bow of the ship may be elevated or lowered for ascension or descent of the ship.

For ballasting the ship I employ a waterballast tank 54 carried below the car and means are provided for water as well as means for emptying or disposing of the water ballast as required. `For landing purposes a suitable number of wheels 55 are carried beneath the tank and distributed in roper location for support of the aircraft ifp a landing on the ground is required.

In Figure 6 the arrangement of the interior structural braces of the hull is shown, wherein the transversely arranged or metrical braces 56 are centered on the longitudinal axis of the craft to form open, transver'sely disposed frames with a central securing bolt or rivet 56'; These open or skeleton frames are of circular shape and at their peripheries are bolted or riveted to the brace rings 6. The main braces 56 which are o tubular -formation as seen in Figure 7 radiends riveted or bolted to ate from the center 56 .toward the double wall of the hull, and each brace 56 is provided with a V- haped brace 57 with its the flange 6 of a ring 6. The V-shaped hull-braces 57 it will and by this arrangement of parts the skeleton frames are secured at comparatively close intervals around the circumference of the brace ring to insure ,a strongly reinforced 'skeleton frame for withstanding both internal and external pressure on the hull. 4.

A smaller brace ring 58 .concentric with yseries ot' curvedl or angular plates f in Figure 8,

filling the tank with diaoverlap one' another 1 the main brace ring 6 is also used in cou` neet-ion with these skeleton frames forming an intermediate circular brace and between this intermediate circular brace and the center ot the skeleton traine another concentric structure is formed by the annular 59, each of which plates is located between a pair ot" adjoining, converging main brace rods 56 and bolted or riveted thereto. this annulans'eries ot brace' plates rigid toggle bra-ces 60 radiate outwardly and are riveted or bolted to the intermediate ring 58 with their end; riveted or V-shaped hull braces 57. These transversely arranged 'skeleton,-or 'spider frames, as seen together with the rigid partitions or plates 13 which Vforni the gas com.- partments.i brace thehull st ructurc'in all radial directions from the longitudinal center of `the hull.. Ll. as seen' in Figure 9, at their` flattened ends 4 are connected fore and aft of the ship to the brace rings Q4 and to the two walls of the hull thus reinforcing the hull structure against longitudinal strains.

From the above description taken in connection with my drawingsit will be evident that I have provided a well braced structure for an aircraft and provided the craft with means whereby the ,maximum elliciency may be secured in maneuvering or while under way, as well as in landing or launching.

Having thus fully described my invention what I ,claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is l l. An Jaircraft having a .double-wall hull forming an air space and a bow-plate closing'the interior wallet thea-hull, and adjustable Ventilating means exterior of the, bow-plate -for .regulating the passage of air currents to said space.

2. An aircrafthaving a double-wall hull forming anair space, a bow-plate closing the interior wall of fixed in the outer wall'exterior of the bow plate, a series ot Ventilating slats pivoted invsaid ring, and means for adjusting said slats. y

3. An aircraft having a doublcwall hull f forming an air space, abo'W-plate closing 'the inner wall of said hull, a propeller shaft having a journal bearing in said bow plate, a propeller and a motor forsaid shaft, and a Ventilating device located between the propeller. and bow-plate for regulating admission of air current-s to said-space.

4. An aircraft having a double-Wall hull forming an .air space and a series of spaced longitudinally extending beams in said space, a bow-plate closing the inner wall of the' hulland means Vfor securing said beams to said plate, a series of transversely Y arranged plates forming gas compartments wit-hin the inner wall, and means for con- FrolnT bolted to the the hull, a bow-ring The longitudinal beams 'trolling the entrance' and exit yfrom said compartments.

of gas to and 5. An aircraft having a double-wail `null and a series of longitudinally extending beams between said walls, a bow-plate and means for attaching said beams to said plate, a Series of transverse plates forming gas compartments in the inner wall of the hull, and a-Qplurality of' skeleton frames transversely arranged i'n said compartments.

6. An aircarft lncluding its hull and a series of longitudinally extending beams. a.

bow-p1ate and means for attaching said beams to said plate,- a series of plates forming transverse partitions within said hull, a longitudinally extending keelson forming a tnnel in. said hull andintersecting said plates, and means supported in the keelson for controlling admissionand exit of gas to the compartments 'formed between said plates.

7. An Aaircrait tudinally extending beams, a series of brace rings transversely disposed Within the hull, a series of skeleton frames attached to' said rings, each said fframe comprising radiating rods, V-shaped braces at the ends of said rods connected to said rings, radial braces extendlng inwardly from said V-shaped braces, and

an annular series of brace plates between ,adjoining radiating rods to which' said inwardly extending braces are connected.

In testimony whereof I aiiix my signature. EBER H. VAN VALKEN BERG.

having a hull and longi- 

